Men's Track & Field April 8, 2008

Hawkeyes Prepare For The Weekend

April 8, 2008

THIS WEEK — The University of Iowa men and women’s teams will send split squads to the Mesa Classic in Mesa, AZ, Friday, the Sun Angel Classic Friday and Saturday in Tempe, AZ, or the the Lee Calhoun Memorial Saturday in Macomb, IL.

The Mesa Classic will be held at Riggs Stadium on the Mesa Community College campus. Events are scheduled to start at 2 p.m. (CT).

The Sun Angel Classic will be held at Joe Selleh Track at Sun Angel Stadium on the Arizona State University campus. Events are scheduled to start at 6 p.m. (CT) Friday and 2 p.m. (CT) Saturday.

The Lee Calhoun Memorial will be held at Hanson Field on the Western Illinois University campus. Events are scheduled to start at 9 a.m. (CT).

NCAA QUALIFIERS — Eight Hawkeyes have qualified for the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships, which will be held May 30-31 in Lincoln, NE. Two Hawkeyes have automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships, which will be held June 11-14 in Des Moines, IA. Their event, qualifying marks and where they rank in the Big Ten, region and the nation are listed below.

                                Big 10/Region/NCAAName        Event       Mark        RankingMeghan Armstrong 1,500 Meters    4:26.62     2nd/7th/21st        10,000 Meters   33:28.00    2nd/3rd/3rdMatty Gorman Triple Jump 49-2 1/2 (15.00 m)  4th/11th/36thTammilee Kerr   Javelin     153-6 (45.34 m) 5th/12th/44thRachael Marchand    5,000 Meters    16:35.83    1st/2nd/13thAndy Napier   3,000 Steeplechase  9:03.85     1st/4th/9thDiane Nukuri 10,000 Meters   33:17.01    1st/2nd/2ndJessica Schmidt   3,000 Steeplechase  10:32.50    2nd/3rd/12thRay Varner 400-Meter Hurdles   51.70       1st/4th/16thRenee White   Triple Jump 40-11 (12.47 m) 1st/8th/12th="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>

LAST TIME OUT — The Hawkeye women posted two NCAA automatic qualifiers and four regional qualifiers, while the men’s squad crowned four individual champions and posted three regional qualifiers last weekend. The women’s team competed at the Stanford Invitational and the Auburn Tiger Classic, while the men’s squad competed at Auburn and the Central College Invitatonal in Pella, IA.

For the women’s team, senior Diane Nukuri broke the 17-year-old school 10,000-meter record at Stanford with her automatic qualifying time of 33:17.01. Former Hawkeye Jennifer Brower set the previous mark of 33:23.38 in 1991. Senior Meghan Armstrong also automatically qualified in the 10,000 meters (33:28.00) at Stanford. Seniors Tammilee Kerr (javelin – 153-6), Racheal Marchand (5,000 meters – 16:35.83) and Jessica Schmidt (3,000-meter steeplechase – 10:32.50), and junior Renee White (triple jump – 40-11) all posted regional qualifying marks in their respective events.

For the men’s team, junior Andy Napier won the 3,000-meter steeplechase at Auburn with a regional-qualifying and collegiate-best time of 9:03.85. That mark also ranks seventh on Iowa’s all-time best performers list. Sophomore Ray Varner was Iowa’s other regional qualifier at Auburn, placing third in the 400-meter hurdles in 51.70. Sophomore Adam Hairston won the 800 meters in 1:50.72, missing the regional qualifying mark by .32 seconds. Junior Matty Gorman won the triple jump at Central with a collegiate-best and regional-qualifying mark of 49-2 1/2. That jump also ranks fifth in school history. Sophomore Brendan Camplin won the 5,000 meters at Central with a collegiate-best 15:20.42.

HAWKEYE WOMEN’S COACHING STAFF — Head Coach Layne Anderson is in his first year as head women’s track coach at Iowa. In his four seasons as an assistant with the track team, there has been one national champion, 22 all-Americans and 18 Big Ten Champions. While competing for The Citadel in college, Anderson set 10 school records on his way to becoming a three-time Southern Conference champion. He is assisted by four-time Auburn all-American, 1996 decathlon national champion and Olympian Victor Houston and Hawkeye all-American and four-time Big Ten Champion Shellene Williams.

HAWKEYE MEN’S COACHING STAFF — Head Coach Larry Wieczorek is in his 12th season at the helm of the Iowa men’s track team. He has coached 25 all-Americans and 42 Big Ten Champions at Iowa. The team’s highest conference meet finishes during his tenure are second at the 1999 outdoor meet and fourth at the 1997 indoor meet. As a runner, Wieczorek was a six-time Big Ten champion for Iowa – winning four track and two cross country titles – and a four-time all-American. In 1998, Wieczorek was inducted into the National Iowa Varsity Club Hall of Fame. He is assisted by three-time Indiana all-American Scott Cappos and World Champion and four-time Northern Iowa all-American Joey Woody.

IOWA MUSCO TWILIGHT X — The Hawkeyes will host the 10th annual co-ed Musco Twilight Meet May 3 at Francis X. Cretzmeyer Track in Iowa City. The Big Ten Network will air a tape-delay broadcast of the meet on May 14 at 7 p.m. (CT). Competing teams include Drake, Minnesota, Northern Iowa and Wisconsin. Events are scheduled to start at 3 p.m.

UP NEXT — The Hawkeyes will host their first home meet of the outdoor season April 19 at Cretzmeyer Track in Iowa City. Teams scheduled to participate in the co-ed event include Drake, Iowa State, South Dakota State, Illinois-Chicago, Northern Iowa, Wisconsin, Marquette and Western Illinois. Field events are scheduled to start at 11 a.m., and running events are set to begin at 1:15 p.m. Admission is free.

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